In competitive team sports, particularly those where there is physical contact between the players during games, there has traditionally been a need to motivate players, so they play to in a way which overcomes the opponents and wins a sports competition, for instance a game or series of games. To do this, one of approach of managers and leaders is to create a sense of identity amongst the players of a team, and to contrast that identity with those of the opponent. One well-known approach is to have the players wear uniforms, that is, distinctive dress or clothing. Uniforms also fill the practical need to easily identify members on each team, particularly with sports such as football, basketball and hockey, where the players intersperse and move quickly during competition. For instance, the clothing of one team might comprise a green and white striped jersey, a green cap or helmet, and plain white pants, parts of which bear an emblem or symbol resembling a first animal, which is symbolic of the team name. The opponent team might be dressed in different patterns where the color red dominates, and have an emblem resembling a second animal, or an article, e.g. a horseshoe.
The common features of uniforms, especially the colors and emblems of such may be put to other use. For example, those things may be represented in other displays, for instance in flags and signs—to create a metaphor, that is, an understanding and experience of one thing (e.g., the uniform, color, or symbol of a player or team) in terms of another (e.g., achieving the goal of winning a game or trophy). It is the same kind of understanding and experience that a person may have when seeing a picture of an national flag on a product, where the flag reflects a sense of patriotism; and, thus the flag on a consumer product will be representative of the person's commitment to the nation's product manufacturer. In sports, certain colors and symbols are strongly identified with certain teams, and that identification is reinforced by media coverage. It is in the interest of the leaders or a team, in seeking to win a competition to reinforce such metaphors in the players and in the sports fans who attend competitions.
Sports players can obtain psychological and motivational encouragement from sports fans that attend competitive events. And, many team sports are played with a view to generating income for the teams, from paid attendance and from making sales of team-brand products. Thus, it is in the interest of a competitive sports team to have fans who have a psychological commitment to the team, and who are motivated to support the team in an exhortative and financial manner. The present invention seeks to serve that end. There are many other competitive endeavors, including in business and government affairs, and groups engaged in those have the same motivational needs as in sports.